


Bad Boy

by Niler



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 09:05:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7678375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niler/pseuds/Niler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam's excited</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Boy

**Author's Note:**

> First of all - learn that my titles are kinda misleading and a bit rubbish. People who've been here for a while probably don't need telling, but let me say it explicitly anyway :P :P
> 
> Second of all - it's like fluffy and shizz cos hey...
> 
> Third of all - it's canon and I dunno, it seems to be in the same universe as Possession (1) and Too, also Cruel. 
> 
> Take that any way you wish :0

 

 

 

“So I’m the gay one?”

Zayn pauses with the fork hovering at this mouth. “What?”

“Is it me? Am I gonna be the gay one?” Liam sits opposite him, pushing the empty plate to one side. “Not sure how I feel about that.”

“What you on about, babe?” He puts the forkful in his mouth, chews, watching him like a hawk.

Liam’s used to that look – meant he was either intoxicated or just manic and Zayn was getting prepared to indulge him or more likely gird his loins for the onset of utter insanity…

“The TV show social media is telling me you’re doing. Am I gonna be the gay one or the playa?”

Zayn snorts, nearly choking on his food.

“What’s funny, me as a playa? Cos trust me it’s not that funny.”

“Babe…”

He’s laughing, but trying to hold it down. Like Liam doesn’t know when he’s taking the piss.

“So what, I’m not the gay one or the playa? Oh please don’t tell me I’m the moody, weird, pretentious one.”

“Oi, less of the weird and pretentious, bro.”

“What? You weren’t the moody, pretentious one who was too good for the band?”  
“I was a combination of everything.”

“Except the gay one…”

Zayn shrugs, continues eating, continues watching him.

“You know, it’s funny how we never had a gay one, isn’t it?”

“Oh I thought Louis was the gay one.”

“Well, no, not really. There’s always a gay one who everyone knows is gay… and then eventually they come out.”

Zayn shrugs again. “Take your pick.” And they both giggle.

“It’s funny isn’t it, how it’s the straight one people need to be searching for… oh is that how it’s gonna be, you’re going to make people guess who the straight one is?”

Zayn chuckles. “Like we’d be allowed.”

“That would be good, though, like that game where the woman got a few hundred grand for ending up with the straight guy after eliminating the gays… Wow that doesn’t sound right, does it?”

“Probably why it was so popular.”

“Ooh, politics!”

Zayn delivers another shrug. “Not today, babe, not over this.”

Liam watches him eating for a moment, wondering how, as he often does, Zayn’s eyes can go from dark to green and all the colours in between in the space of seconds…

“How much are you going to reveal, though?”

“A bit; more than some expect, less than others expect. Standard.”

“And I’m not gonna be the gay one?”

“Do you wanna be?”

“What’re the alternatives?”

“You tell me.”

Liam ponders for a second. “Okay, well there’s the gay one.”

“Obviously.”

“The weird, moody pretentious, up-himself one. What? It’s not based on you, babe.”

“Fuck off.”

Laughing, Liam continues. “The cheeky, happy, funny one.”

“Not that one.”

“I’m not sure I like the way you practically broke your neck to jump in there, Zayn. I’m funny!”

“I know, but it’s not that one.”

“Hmm, okay. So what do we have left? Ah yes, the clever one and the playa.”

Their eyes meet. “I’m the playa? Really? Oh my god. Get in! I can so see myself in that. Oh god. Wow.” He’s grinning so hard he’s sure his jaws are going to ache after.

“Babe, why do you think you’re the playa? There’s the gay one and the clever one. Why not one of them?”

Liam snorts. “Cos everyone knows I’m never going to be the clever one. So I was right; I am the gay one!”

“You can be whichever one you want to be and we’d make it work. Don’t know why you want to be the bad boy, but if you want to be the bad boy you can be the bad boy.” He’s grinning in response to Liam’s grin. “You’re fucking insane, you know that?”

“I am the bad boy playa mothafucka, homie. I can be insane. What you gonna do, uh?”

Zayn rolls his eyes. “Advise you to lose the Brummie accent before you expect anyone to take you seriously…”

“Fuck off.”

**

 

Zayn has so many ideas in his head it’s hard to keep track at times, but Liam can’t express how gratifying it is to see him buzzing day after day now, knowing that what he wants to do is now in reach, that he no longer has to shut everything creative all the way down in order to fit into the little cage in which he was being held.

Zayn doesn’t believe there’s time enough allotted to him in this lifetime to achieve and accomplish all the things he wishes to.

He wants to fly, to soar and isn’t interested in fashioning tethers for himself anymore.

They both know that people think he’ll crash, burn, but these people don’t get it, don’t get that it’s not about ‘success’, it’s about experience, about living, and for Zayn crashing and burning is part of that.

They think he’ll shrivel up and go small when he fails, not realizing that he can’t fail, that Zayn doesn’t look at failure the way so many people do. He now has the gift of turning every fail into a win – somehow, some way – learning from it, picking out seeds of success from the failure, so that it no longer has that power over him.

He says he learned it from him, but Liam doesn’t know how, doesn’t understand why he’s such a touchstone for Zayn given how he sees himself.

He has no idea how it is Zayn sees him so differently, but he knows he does, knows it’s truth for Zayn, so takes inspiration from that, and as Zayn insists on telling him, keeps just doing what he does.

Zayn’s his inspiration because Zayn’s the bravest person he knows; the most acutely clever, the most loyal and inspirational.

When they’re side by side brushing their teeth and whingeing, maybe arguing about petty things he’ll take a moment to ponder how this can be the same guy so beautiful it hurts to look at him, whose talent makes him shake his head in wonder, whose soul shines from his eyes like an actual light source and once again thank everything he knows that he’s the one Zayn chose.

Because for all that Zayn’s all of those things he’s also breathtakingly ordinary; just a guy; his annoying bestie who creates mess then makes a fuss about sorting it; who watches shit tv and hides that fact from all those who think he’s an intellectual.

And that’s the best, the very, very best thing about him, about being with him.

Zayn’s just…everything…

  
**

“So it’s definitely going ahead? I know we said, know you’ve been talking…“

“We’re still talking, but come on, it was gonna happen. Somebody was gonna do it – eventually. Why not us?”

“Okay, but is it going to be typically American? You know what I mean.”

“Better that way.”

“I suppose so.” They’d talked about this of course, but in that scenario it started with a book. “You still going to write the book?”

“Definitely. Looking forward to it.” Zayn’s playing with Loki, indulging him like he always does.

“You still doing it under a pen name?”

“Definitely; makes no sense otherwise.”

“I was just thinking, though, Zayn – if it goes wrong people are gonna blame you. If it does well they’re gonna say ‘he was just an exec, didn’t have no creative input.’ People are dicks.”

“Exactly, and exactly why I take no notice of any of it.” He’s answering but it’s clear he’s more interested in the conversation he’s having with Loki.

Liam wishes he could borrow Zayn’s insouciance, but it’s always harder for the person worrying about all the ways the person they love could suffer…

“Do you think Taylor Lautner’s too old to play me?”

Zayn turns to look at him. “He isn’t sexy enough to play you.”

Liam raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Who is?”

Zayn rolls his eyes. “You know fuck well what I’m gonna say.”

“No, what? Who?”

“No-one; no-one’s sexy enough to play you.” He turns his attention back to Loki.  
Liam watches them play; warm, content - happy.

Zayn’s happy, too, happier than he’s been for ages.

He is so easy to please, though.

Such a simple soul when it really comes down to it.

Happy family, happy partner, creative freedom.

That’s it, that’s what does it for Zayn and right now he has all three and knowing Zayn will work hard to keep all three in balance.

But there’s just one favour he needs to ask.

“Babe, let me know if it’s too much...”

He has Zayn’s full attention now. “Yeah?”

“Could I maybe audition for the role – my role? I’d make sure I had some more lessons and that, and I wouldn’t be upset if I didn’t get through, but I’d like to give it a go.”

Zayn frowns. “Your role?”

“Yeah, the Bad Boy.”

“Well, okay, don’t see why you wouldn’t be allowed. I can only do so much though. Don’t want to be accused of nepotism.”

“Babe, you know I only want to get the chance. Don’t expect to get any special favours.”

“Right. Okay then. If you’re sure, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks babe.” He hadn’t really expected anything else, but if feels good to have put it out there. He hasn’t ever had any real acting ambitions, but he’s enjoyed it in the past and he does like to challenge himself.

Zayn’s stopped playing with Loki, and while he’s not exactly looking at him it’s clear he has something he wants to say. “What is it, babe? I know what I’m letting myself in for and I promise I will not embarrass-”

“That’s not your role.”

“Sorry?”

“The Bad boy – it’s not your role. Don’t get me wrong, babe, you can do that if you want to and I think you’d kill it by the way, but that’s not the role I had in my head when I was thinking about this.”

“Okay. What role? The gay one?”

Zayn turns to him. “The one role you never mentioned – the cool, good-looking one everyone wants to marry or be best friends with. The one who has everyone’s back, who acts as the leader because no-one else will; who puts the band above all else. The one who bridges the gap between the band, the management, the fans; who takes the lead in media interviews. That one – that’s who you are in this; the one everyone’s in love with.”

Liam stares at him, speechless.

After a while Zayn turns his attention back to Loki.


End file.
